This invention generally relates to a surgical clip applicator and, more particularly, to a surgical clip applicator having a replaceable cartridge for storing and applying a plurality of clips.
Clip applicators, or surgical staplers, for clipping or stapling clips within a human body are known. In laparoscopic and endoscopic surgical procedures, a small incision is made in the patient's body to provide access for a tube or working channel. Once extended into the patient's body, the working channel provides an access port which allows insertion of various surgical instruments through the working channel for accessing organs, blood vessels, ducts or body tissue spaced inwardly from the incision. Often during such procedures, it is necessary to use a clip applicator to apply clips to blood vessels or various ducts or other body tissue for various reasons including to prevent the flow of body fluids therethrough during the procedure and/or to hold stunts, catheters and other devices in place.
Clip applicators are known to include an elongated, narrow housing and a disposable cartridge releasably mounted to the distal end of the housing. The disposable cartridge includes a plurality of clips and a pair of jaws that extend from the distal end of the cartridge. During use, the cartridge and part of the housing are inserted through the working channel and into the body. Once the jaws are positioned around the desired tissue and/or device, the surgeon squeezes a trigger located outside of the body to activate a clip driver within the cartridge that advances one of the clips to a position between the jaws. Further squeezing of the trigger squeezes the jaws together to pinch the clip onto the body tissue and/or device. The clip may be partially closed in certain applications, such when used to hold a catheter in or shunt in place, or the clip may be nearly completely pinched together. The trigger preferably includes a ratchet such that the surgeon can pause during installation of the clip without prematurely releasing the jaws and losing the partially closed clip held between the jaws. Once the trigger has been fully compressed or compressed a predetermined distance, the ratchet is released and jaws are opened to release the clip. The clip applicator is then ready to install another clip if needed. Once all of the clips in the cartridge have been used, or the cartridge needs to be otherwise replaced, the cartridge is removed and disposed of and a new cartridge is installed onto the end of the clip applicator. If the trigger is accidentally squeezed or the trigger is otherwise displaced during replacement of the cartridge from a fully open position, the second cartridge will not properly align with the driving members in the housing requiring the surgeon to manually reset the trigger and then remount the cartridge.
The cartridge has a clip driver for advancing the clips and a jaw driver for closing the jaws. Because the clip and jaw drivers must align with the corresponding driving members in the clip applicator housing, it is important that the clip and jaw drivers are properly aligned and held in place until the cartridge is fully installed and the first and second driving members are properly connected with the driving members of the housing. Any displacement of the clip and jaw drivers will prevent proper alignment between the driving members and prevent the clip applicator from working.
What is therefore needed, but not provided in the prior art, is a trigger release mechanism for a surgical clip applicator that automatically releases a retaining member and automatically resets the trigger to a fully open position in response to loading of a new cartridge and a cartridge for a surgical clip applicator that has a releasable alignment member for keeping the driving members of the cartridge properly aligned until the cartridge is completely loaded within the clip applicator housing.